Texas dove hunters have an opportunity to bag the migratory game birds over the Christmas holiday season, starting this Friday, Dec. 21.

Dove season in Texas this year is Sept. 1 - Nov. 4, and Dec. 21 - Jan. 14. 

Dove Hunting Rules

Bag limits are still 15-birds per day, including no more than two white-tipped, with a possession limit of three times the daily bag limit.

Legal shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Sunrise in Albany this Friday, Dec. 21 will occur at 7:35 a.m., and sunset at 5:35 p.m. 

Stock show season is already underway for a few local exhibitors, including AHS sophomore Carli Edgar who placed well with her barrows at the Lone Star Classic jackpot pig show in Abilene and at the Red River Rivalry in Wichita Falls recently, and seven year old Luke Smith who exhibited a gilt at the Best of the Best Coleman County Stock Show in November and at the Abilene show this past Sunday.

Edgar won the middle weight Berkshire class with one of her barrows and topped out the middle weight cross class with another barrow at the Red River Rivalry in Wichita Falls on Nov. 23.

The Shackelford County 4-H Club met in the courtroom of the local Courthouse at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11 to elect officers for the upcoming year.

Selected to leadership positions for 2019 are Johnnie Hise - president, Laithe Leech - vice president, Hannah Snyder - secretary, and Connor Smith - treasurer. 

Attending the meeting were Shackelford County extension agent Michaela Bradford, club manager Kristie Smith, and around 15 local 4-H members.

Last Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15, Robert Nail’s Albany Nativity was presented as a Christmas gift for everyone who took the time to come to the Aztec Theater, pick up a free ticket, step inside, take a seat, and watch their friends and neighbors act out the true story of Christmas. 

“I am so grateful to all the cast, choirs, and crew who volunteered their time and talent to this production,” said director Lorna Ayers. “It is a privilege to be a part of something so special.”

Fandangle board president Steve Waller announced last Wednesday, Dec. 12, at the association’s regular meeting that he was stepping down from both the office and the board.

“We went through the director transition, we have selected a new marketing director, and we have several young, new board members that have joined the experienced directors,” said Waller. “I feel good about the direction the Fandangle is going, so it was a good time to step down.”

The last Albany Chamber of Commerce weekly lunch meeting of 2018 will be held at the Icehouse at 12:00 noon on Friday, Dec. 21. 

There will not be a Chamber luncheon on Dec. 28 because of the holidays. 

The weekly meetings of the Chamber will resume at 12:00 noon Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 at the Beehive.

The Chamber office will be closed for the holidays on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

The monthly meetings of both the Albany Merchants and the Chamber board of directors have been moved from Tuesday, Jan. 1 to Tuesday, Jan. 8.

The end to what was one of the best comeback seasons ever, the Lion football team was stopped by the Gruver Greyhounds just one step away from a storybook ending of reaching the state championship game last Thursday.

Albany lost the Class 2A Div. 2 semifinal playoff 30-17 despite leading until midway through the third quarter.

Both teams had to fight a constant 30 MPH north wind, but the Lions also had to overcome injuries to a couple of key players.

The Lion football team dominated the District 7-2A selection announced this week, including receiving the majority of the superlative honors.

Senior Cutter Edgar was named the district’s MVP, while senior Cameron Dacus was picked as the Offensive MVP and senior Ryan Hill was the Defensive MVP.

“I thought that we were really well represented, especially with the special awards,” head coach Denney Faith said. “You always wish there were a few more kids recognized, but the guys did very well and they are all very deserving.”

The Lady Lions earned a pair of wins last week and hosted Goldthwaite on Tuesday as they head into the Christmas break.

Albany dropped to 10-7 with a close 36-29 loss to the state-ranked Goldthwaite Lady Eagles on Dec. 18. Details were not available at press time but will be reported next week.

The Lady Lions will host Throckmorton at home on Friday, with the JV starting at 3:00 p.m., followed by the varsity girls at 4:00 p.m.

The varsity will take a week off before coming back to host a girls tournament Dec. 27-28.

Both Albany Cubs basketball teams won two out of three games at the Breckenridge tournament last Saturday, then they split games with the Abilene Hawks on Monday.

The Cubs will be off for the Christmas break until Jan. 10 when they will host Hawley.

The seventh grade boys lost the first round at Breckenridge to Eastland, 25-21.

“It was a good game, but we missed several lay-ups,” coach David Fair-child said. “The guys played good defense.”

Scoring were Houston Heatly 8, Adam Hill 10, and Lanxton Viertel 3.